Return Address: None
by sponge-fan
Summary: Spongebob recieves strange letters telling him to move out of town. He does, but that's not good enough for the stalker...Rated K plus for mild murder. FINISHED!
1. Notes From Stalker

**_Author's Note: _It's here! Returned Address: None scored first place. Thank you to everyone who voted! I hope everyone likes this story. In the beginning, it sort of rushes through Spongebob's day. I didn't want to bore you guys with a long typical Spongebob day, so I put where each new paragraph takes place, so you won't be confused. **

**You readers are in for a treat. This chapter is longer than my usual ones. Thanks to Estelle Rabon and UpWith Pokemon623. Thank you for reviewing! Enjoy!**

**Return Address: None**

Chapter 1

It was another peaceful day. No worries, lots of sunshine. Just another typical day in Bikini Bottom. Everything was peaceful.

"Good morning, world!" yelled Spongebob as he woke up. He did his morning chores and then walked out the door. "Bye, Gare-Bear!" called Spongebob as he headed off to work.

_(Krusty Krab)_

"One Krabby Patty, extra onions," said Squidward.

"One cryin' jonny coming up! First bun, followed by ketchup mustard, pickles, **extra onions**, lettuce, cheese, tomato and bun. In that order." Spongebob handed the patty to Squidward.

"Will you stop doing that?" asked the peeved octopus.

_(Spongebob's House)_

"Gary! I'm back!" called Spongebob as he entered the pineapple.

"Meow (I got the mail)," purred Gary. Gary opened up his shell to reveal several letters.

"Let's see what we got," said Spongebob, crouching down and picking up the mail. "Bills, bills, bills, what's this?" Spongebob dropped the bills and sat in his red chair. Spongebob examined the mystery note. He ripped open the envelope and in it was a small piece of paper. He looked over it silently. It read:

Squarepants,

If you cherish the ones you love, you'll leave town. This is not a joke! You have three days to get your rear in gear. Leave Bikini Bottom, or else!

From, Stalker

Spongebob was flabbergasted at the letter. He looked at the envelope for a return address, but there wasn't one. He was paralyzed with shock, until Gary snapped him out of it.

"Meow? (What does the letter say, Spongebob?)" Spongebob shook his head in confusion.

"Nothing," he replied to Gary's question. "Just a prank." Little did he know how wrong he was.

"Later that evening, Spongebob decided to take Gary out for a walk. "Gary, wanna go for walkies?" asked Spongebob in an overly sweet voice.

"Meow! Meow. (Sure! Just don't ever use that baby voice again.)"

"Aww, Gary, you're such a kidder!" replied Spongebob. He clipped on Gary's leash, and then took him for a stroll down to the park. When they reached the park, Spongebob played fetch with Gary, cuddled with Gary, and talked to Gary. After 2 hours of playing in the park, they went home and ate dinner. By bed time, Spongebob had forgotten all about the letter. "What a great day!" exclaimed Spongebob as he snuggled into his bed.

TOOT! TOOT! Spongebob woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. "What a great sleep," said Spongebob. "Good morning, Gary." There came no answering meow. "Gary?" Spongebob jumped out of bed. There was a difference in the air. It seemed chilly and Spongebob could feel a draft. "Gary? Where are you, boy?" Spongebob was getting a little scared. He ran down the stairs. Still no Gary. What he did see shocked him. The living room window was smashed. Now Spongebob knew where the draft was coming from. "You can come out now, Gary!" called Spongebob. He was very scared now. He ran into the kitchen. "Gary?" The air was even colder. Spongebob knew why. The refrigerator door had been left open. "Oh my gosh!" He exclaimed. "It's a good thing I didn't catch the suds!" Spongebob ran over to close the fridge door. What he saw next scarred him for life. He found Gary. Or what used to be Gary. Gary was frozen sold. Through the ice, Spongebob could see that Gary was also badly wounded. Surly his little snail body couldn't stand the cold. Gary was dead. "No," said Spongebob. "Not dead. Gary was murdered." He couldn't stand looking at his poor mollusc. Spongebob averted his eyes. He looked at the fridge door. On the front was taped a note.

You have 3 days. I am not kidding. Leave Bikini Bottom or else worse things will happen.

From, Stalker

Through his fear, Spongebob passed out. The last thing he saw was Gary's cold, dead eyes.

"Spongebob! Spongebob! Oh, please wake up!" Spongebob opened his eyes. Everything was a little blurry, and then it came into focus. "Hey, Patrick! He's coming to!" called the voice.

"Sandy?" asked Spongebob. "Is that you?" Spongebob was lying on his living room couch.

"Yes, Spongebob, it's me. Pat's here too." Patrick ran up to where Spongebob laid.

"What happened?" asked Spongebob.

"When you didn't show up for work, Mr. Krabs called your house," replied Sandy. "There was no answer, so he came over here. You were unconscious in front of the open fridge, and when Mr. Krabs saw…well…Gary, he phoned the police." Spongebob looked around his house. Sure enough, it was swarming with police. "As soon as Pat and I heard what happened, we rushed over here. Gary has been moved to the police station as evidence." Spongebob looked up at Sandy with cold eyes. Lifeless eyes. She started blinking back tears. "Why would anyone kill Gary?" she asked Spongebob.

"I don't know," replied Spongebob. He lied. He recalled the note that was found on the fridge door. He didn't want to tell Sandy or Patrick. It would just hurt them more.

Spongebob looked up at Patrick and Sandy. They looked back at Spongebob. "I think I should leave Bikini Bottom," said Spongebob very seriously. Patrick and Sandy looked shocked.

"Why?" they both asked at the same time. Spongebob was silent for a while. He was thinking fast for an excuse.

"This place holds to many sad memories," he said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. "I won't be happy if I stay."

"No, Spongebob!" said Patrick. "You're just confused by what happened. You can't leave Bikini Bottom!"

"Pat is right, Spongebob," agreed Sandy. "You can't leave! Who will do karate with me?"

"And who will be my best friend?" asked Patrick.

"I'm sorry, guys, but I can't stay here," Spongebob argued._ "I wouldn't be able to stand it if one of you got hurt." _He thought this to himself. He stood up from the couch slowly. A wave of dizziness overcame him, and he sat back down.

"You should rest," said Sandy. "We'll come back in the morning." Spongebob looked at the clock hanging on the wall. Five o'clock pm. Spongebob was surprised that he was unconscious for so long. Spongebob debated whether or not he should start packing or rest. He didn't want to put his friends' lives at stake, but if he tried to pack he would probably pass out again.

"Fine," said Spongebob. "But come back here tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Sandy said.

"Fine," agreed Patrick.

"Bye then," said Spongebob. Sandy and Patrick exited the pineapple. The police were still investigating Spongebob's house. Most officers left at 8:00. At 10:00 the last officer left the house after saying farewell to Spongebob. Spongebob stared at the door for a few minutes after the officer closed it. Spongebob was still lying on the couch. He had a fluffy pillow beneath his head, and a very warm blanket on top of him, but he still felt very uncomfortable. One of the police officers had patched up the smashed window with plastic, but it was still very cold. Spongebob was scared. With no Gary, he felt completely exposed to any harm possible. After two hours, Spongebob was too tired to keep his eyes open any longer. He fell asleep only to be haunted by dreams of stalker killing his friends.

The next morning, Sandy and Patrick came to visit. Spongebob was relieved that they were still alive.

"I've decided that I'm going to move, guys," replied Spongebob when Sandy and Patrick asked how he was feeling.

"What?" they both said in unison. "But why?"

"I have my reasons…" Spongebob trailed off. By noon Spongebob was feeling well enough to start packing. Sandy and Patrick tried to persuade him not to, but it was a lost cause. Spongebob spent the whole day packing.

At 7:00 Spongebob announced that he was going to leave on the next bus out of town. Sandy and Patrick desperately tried to make him reconsider, but his mind was made up. The three friends were standing outside Spongebob's house.

"Will we ever see you again?" asked Sandy.

"I don't know," replied Spongebob.

"Please, Spongebob, you can't leave! I can't survive without you!" pleaded Patrick.

"Aww, Pat, I know we're good friends and all, but…" started Spongebob.

"No, you don't understand!" interrupted the sea star. "What if I forget how to eat again? Who will help me use the funnel?"

"I'm sure Sandy would help," replied Spongebob. "Now if you don't excuse me, my bus is here." A red bus pulled up in front of Spongebob, and the yellow cube slowly climbed aboard.

"NOO!" yelled Patrick. "Spongebob!" he was crying very hard.

"Goodbye Bikini Bottom!" said Spongebob as he waved goodbye. The bus doors slowly closed, and the bus drove away. Sandy and Patrick stood outside the pineapple, weeping for their small, yellow, friend.

The next day, Sandy and Patrick lounged inside Spongebob's house. They couldn't believe that Spongebob was really gone.

"I can't believe the little yellow dude got up and left," said Sandy. "It seemed like only yesterday we met." Sandy recalled the time Spongebob and herself first met. Sandy was wrestling a giant clam. Spongebob thought she was in danger and came charging at the clam. They (meaning Sandy) beat up the clam and then the next day, Spongebob came over to her tree dome for some Texas tea and cookies.

"Why would he leave?" asked Patrick.

"I don't know," replied Sandy. Both of their stomachs growled for food at the same time.

"I'm going to see if there's anything in the fridge to eat," said Patrick.

"Eww, Patrick," said Sandy, revolted. "That's where Gary was found."

"Yah, so?" asked Patrick stupidly.

Sandy shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Patrick strolled into the kitchen. Sandy could hear the clinking of jars and other things. Patrick was in there for a while. He came out with a glass of milk, a sandwich, and a crumpled piece of paper. Sandy made a face of disgust as Patrick ate his sandwich. Then she noticed the small, crumpled piece of paper Patrick was holding. "Hey, Pat," asked Sandy. "What's that?" she pointed to the piece of paper.

"Oh, this?" asked Patrick in between bites of his sandwich. "I found it behind the fridge." Sandy grabbed the piece of paper out of Patrick's hand and uncrumpled it. A note was scribbled in very crude writing on the paper.

"You have 3 days," she read. "I am not kidding. Leave Bikini Bottom or else worse things will happen. From, Stalker."

Sandy and Patrick looked at each other in shocked amazement. "Spongebob didn't choose to leave Bikini Bottom!" exclaimed Sandy. "He was **forced **to. Come on, Pat. We have to find out where Spongebob went!"

"Right!" agreed Patrick.

The two friends headed out the door to try and find Spongebob and the stalker. Little did they know that the stalker was actually the one who was looking for them.


	2. New Home

**_Author's Note: _Thank you TJHawke and Estelle Rabon! You guys rock out loud! You always give me super nice reviews! I'm glad you liked the first chapter so much. I hope everyone else out there enjoys this story too!**

Chapter 2

Spongebob was, once again, scared. He was going to the scariest place that he knew of. He didn't really have a choice in the matter…

_Flashback_

Spongebob boarded the bus. "Goodbye Bikini Bottom!" he called. The doors closed. Spongebob was about to take his seat, when the driver stopped him.

"Hey, are you Spongebob Squarepants?"

"Yes I am," was Spongebob's reply.

"Here," the driver handed Spongebob a piece of paper. "Some guy left it for you."

Spongebob took the paper and paid his bus fee. He sat down on one of the brown leather seats. He looked around. There was no one on the bus. Spongebob uncrumpled the piece of paper.

Squarepants,

I'm glad you left Bikini Bottom. I think we're starting to understand each other. I've taken the liberty of arranging for a place where you can stay.

Spongebob thought it was nice of this 'stalker' to arrange a place for him, until he read where he was headed.

"Bus driver! Bus driver!" Spongebob called. "Where is this bus headed?"

"Next stop, Rock Bottom!" called the driver to where Spongebob was sitting.

Spongebob gulped.

_End Flashback_

Spongebob was bored. It may have taken a few minutes to get to Rock Bottom from Glove world, but it took forever to get from Spongebob's house to Rock Bottom. Spongebob was about to fall into sleep, when the bus suddenly gave a horrible lurch, and Spongebob started to fall straight down. The force threw him to the back of the bus. The bus then made a ninety degree angle turn, and stopped suddenly. The sudden stop caused Spongebob to be hurled to the front of the bus. Spongebob took a few minutes to get back on his feet.

"Last stop, everyone off," ordered the bus driver to Spongebob. Spongebob took a few precautious steps off the bus. The automobile zoomed off into the darkness. Now it was just Spongebob and his suitcase. It seemed very quite and scary. Even scarier then Spongebob remembered it. Spongebob looked around at his surroundings. The bus station and bathroom were still there. So was the candy machine. The machine looked rusted and abandoned. However, the sign that read Kandy still glowed the same terrible glow. Spongebob wasn't sure of what he should do. Stalker's note said that he had arranged for Spongebob to stay in Rock Bottom, but Spongebob had no idea where to go. He was standing all by his lonesome self, when he heard something echoing in the distance.

"Phhhpt…" Spongebob gave a sigh of relief. (This was a lot to be said for Rock Bottom). Spongebob knew from past experiences that the sound meant people. Maybe this particular person could help Spongebob.

"Hello?" he asked. "Who's there?"

A figure with green skin and one eye emerged from the darkness. "Are you, phhhpt, Spongebob, phhhpt, Squarepants?" asked he fish.

"Yes, I'm Spongebob," replied the yellow cube. The odd fish looked puzzled.

"I can't, phhhpt, understand, phhhpt, your accent, phhhpt."

Spongebob realized he would have to change the way he spoke. "I, phppt, am Spongebob, phhhpt, Squarepants."

"Ohhh!" said the fish with a dawn of realization on its face. "Follow, phhhpt, me," it said. The strange fish started to walk off into the distance. Spongebob had to stay close by in order to not get lost in the darkness. The fish led Spongebob to a small shack. "This is, phhhpt, where you'll stay." The fish led Spongebob inside. The small house was made up of three rooms: one kitchen, one bedroom, and one bathroom. No living room. "There is a small, phhhpt, rent," said the fish. "Only $50 a, phhhpt, month." Spongebob examined the house. It was very cramped, and the ceiling leaked a bit.

"How, phhhpt, long will I, phhhpt, have to stay here?" Spongebob asked the fish.

"Until you can, phhhpt, find a decent place, phhhpt, I guess," replied the strange specimen. "I'll leave you, phhhpt, to get unpacked. You should look for a job, phhhpt, in the morning. I hope, phhhpt, you like your new, phhhpt, home." The fish left the house.

"Home?" asked Spongebob. "This isn't home, this is prison."

Sandy and Patrick were sitting at a table in their motel room. Sandy was examining the note from stalker, looking for any possible hint as to where Spongebob moved to. Patrick kept dozing off to sleep.

"I can't make out anything," said Sandy. "What about you, Patrick? Patrick?" Patrick was snoring very loudly. "PATRICK!" yelled Sandy.

"SAVE THE LIVESTOCK!" bellowed Patrick as loud as he could. "Oh, sorry, Sandy," said Patrick when he realized he had been sleeping. "It's just really late, and I'm really tired. Can't we go to bed?"

"Not until we figure out where Spongebob moved to," replied Sandy.

"Come on," complained Patrick. "We can't find anything in this note, and you're not doing yourself or Spongebob any good by staying up this late."

Sandy sighed. Patrick did have a point. She was dead tired. "Fine," she said. "We'll sleep, but we should get an early start tomorrow."

"Deal," agreed Patrick. The two friends crawled into their separate beds and turned off the light. They both fell asleep immediately.

Stalker was up all night. He wanted to make sure that the squirrel and sea star would never be able to find their friend. Spongebob had made a mockery of him, now he wanted revenge. It didn't really matter if the squirrel or sea star figured it out, he could just do the same thing to them as he did to the snail. Noting would stop stalker. Not Sandy, not Patrick, not even that idiotic sponge.


	3. Looking For A Job

**_Author's Note: _I got a lot of reviews for chapter 2, so I'm going to give individual credit to everyone who reviewed. (Note: If you have any suspicions of who Stalker is, please tell me. I want to see who you think it is!)**

**Estelle Rabon: Thanks for the fave. I'm glad you liked the Patrick outburst. I'm now accepting anonymous reviews. Also, if you give a review for this chapter, tell me who you think stalker is. I want to know what you think. smiles**

**ComicCrystal: Thanks for making the Patrick suggestion. I will try to make him more concerned.**

**spongfan: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you think it's good.**

**UpWithPokemon623: yes, you can still vote. I'm glad you like it!**

**AMX: Thanks for pointing out my mistakes. I will fix the ones I find and I will concentrate on my typing more. I'm happy that you think it's great!**

**TJhawke: I'm glad you like it. Don't worry, you'll find out who Stalker is soon enough.**

Chapter 3

Spongebob woke up with a sore body. It was hard to tell which was softer, the bed or the floor. He got dressed, and looked in the fridge. Nothing. Not one scrap of food. He looked in the cupboards. They were the same as the fridge; empty. Spongebob could hear his stomach growling for food. His first thought would be to go out for food, but then he thought better of it. He had a limited supply of money, and he needed to pay his rent. Besides, he was new here. He didn't even know if there was a restaurant in this eerie town. "I'll wait until lunch to look for food," thought Spongebob to himself. "In the meantime, I should find a job."

Spongebob walked outside of his house. Even though it was the early morning, Rock Bottom was as dark as ever. He started to walk down the road. Step, step, step, crunch. "Huh?" questioned Spongebob out loud as to what had made the odd sound. He looked down. He was standing on a piece of worthless paper. Spongebob smiled. He remembered a time Squidward gave him a piece of paper and then tested him to make sure Spongebob would keep his promise. Spongebob bent down and picked up the small piece of litter. Soon, to his horror, he realised that it wasn't worthless. It was very important. On it was scrawled another note from stalker.

Squarepants,

You are to NOT leave this town. If you do then there will be a little surprise for one of your friends if you know what I mean. In order to pay for your shack, I got a job for you. The building is located on the intersection of dark and despair.

"Lovely street names," said Spongebob to himself sarcastically.

Go in and ask for Rick, tell him who you are, and he'll give you the job. Included on this paper is a map of the city.

P.S. Don't talk to anyone from Bikini Bottom.

Stalker

Spongebob was surprise that stalker would find him a job. However, he knew by now not to underestimate his enemy. The job would probably be something awful. Unfortunately, he was right. Spongebob examined the very messy map that was scribbled on the paper.

After endless searching, he was finally able to find the intersection of Dark and Despair. He looked around the dark intersection. There was nothing in sight except for one, very large, building. "That must be the place," Spongebob said. He took a few steps towards the building. Suddenly a putrid smell filled his nostrils. "Aww, barnacles, what's that smell?" Spongebob asked while holding his nose. He looked behind the massive building. Behind the structure, there was an enormous dump. There were all sorts of toxic wastes, rotting materials, decaying food, and some things Spongebob would prefer to not even think about. The dump was one massive stink bomb. The smell coming from it was worse than Spongebob's ketchup, onions, and peanut sundae breath. He could actually hear it stinking. Spongebob took a deep breath and ran for the building doors. Once inside, he let out his breath. Thankfully, the inside of the building didn't smell anything like the outside. "Now all I need to do is find Rick," said Spongebob.

Sandy and Patrick were sitting at a diner out of town.

"This is hopeless!" cried Patrick. "We'll never find Spongebob!" Patrick brought on a new set of tears. His fifth set that week.

"Aww, common, Pat, don't cry," Sandy said. "I know it seems like we're at a dead end, but I know we'll find Spongebob."

"No we won't!" cried Patrick. "We've tried, and we've tried, but we haven't found him anywhere!" Patrick laid his face against the tabletop and cried into the stained wood. Sandy took a sad sip from her coffee. She seemed confident, but really she felt just like Patrick.

"At this rate, we'll never find our friend," Sandy thought to herself. She let go of the tears she was holding back the entire time. The two friends wept silently for a while, until something caught their attention.

"…and I missed the bus because it made a special stop to some guy's house!" complained a fish who was sitting at the counter. He was talking to a waitress.

"Whose house did it stop at instead?" asked the waitress.

"I don't know for sure, I think it was at some guy's house from Bikini Bottom," replied the fish.

Sandy and Patrick looked at each other in surprise. They couldn't believe their luck. The fish was talking about the bus that Spongebob boarded. Sandy and Patrick walked up to the fish.

"Uhh, excuse me, sir," said Sandy. "But where was that bus headed?"

"You mean the one I missed?" asked the fish suspiciously. Sandy nodded. "Well, I don't think it's any of your business, but if you really need to know, it was headed for Rock Bottom."

Hearing this new news, Patrick was flabbergasted. "Rock Bottom?" he exclaimed to Sandy. "That's the scariest place ever!"

"We have no choice, we have to find Spongebob," persuaded Sandy.

Patrick nodded. "You're right," agreed Patrick, getting over his terror. "We have to do it for Spongebob."

Sandy slapped some money on the counter for the coffee, and then the two friends headed out the door. Their next stop was Rock Bottom.

Stalker smiled to himself. The sponge was most likely miserable by now. Everything was going according to plan. Well, almost everything. The squirrel, (was Sandy her name?) and the sea star (he believed that one was Patrick) were catching up on Spongebob mighty fast. They were already headed for Rock Bottom. Stalker scowled. They were interfering with his business. He wouldn't allow that. He knew he had gotten his point across to Spongebob, but maybe he needed to start intimidating the pair of friends more. If they didn't respond, well, it wouldn't be pretty.


	4. Job Interview

**_Author's Note: _WOW! You readers out there must really like this story! I'm getting tons of reviews. Once again, I'm going to give separate credit. **

**flaming-1251: I'm glad you think this story is suspenseful. That's what I was aiming for. Thanks for telling me who you think Stalker is. Sadly, I can't tell you if you're right, that would ruin the story! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Dianna: Thanks for telling me who you think Stalker is. Sadly, I cannot tell you who it is. That would ruin the story! You'll just have to wait and see! ;) Thanks for reviewing!**

**WoRdLiFeCeNa4: Thanks for liking the story. I'm not sure when I'm going to reveal who Stalker is. I do know how, though. ;) Thanks for reviewing!**

**TJhawke: Thanks for your…uh…comment? Lol, I'm joking. Thanks for reviewing.**

**A. Nonymous: I am SO sorry you couldn't review. I thought I was allowing anonymous reviews, but then I found out I wasn't! blush Thanks for telling me who you think Stalker is. I can't tell you if you're right or wrong, because that would ruin the story. I did some research on the vampire squid, and I am most defiantly going to include it in my story. I think it would make a great character. Umm…about the coffee thing with Sandy…that was sort of a mistake. Thanks for pointing it out, though. I'm going to be more aware of Sandy's capabilities later on. Thanks for the long review!**

**Estelle Rabon: Thanks for telling me who you think Stalker is. I cannot tell you if you're right or wrong, though. It would ruin the story! I don't really know how long this story is going to be. I sort of improvise throughout my writing. Thanks for reviewing!**

**smx underground: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you told me who you think Stalker is. Enjoy the story!**

**AMX: Thanks for telling me who you think Stalker is. Sadly, I can't tell you because it would ruin the story! Thanks for reviewing!**

Chapter 4

Spongebob looked around the lobby. It wasn't much brighter than the outside. In fact, it looked darker. (If that was even possible.) Spongebob's eyes had become accustomed to the darkness by now, so it didn't take long for him to find a desk with another odd looking fish behind it.

"Hello, phhhpt," said Spongebob to the fish.

"Hello, phhhpt, may I help, phhhpt you?" asked the fish.

"I'm looking, phhhpt, for Rick. I'm scheduled, phhhpt, for a job interview with, phhhpt, him," replied Spongebob.

"Name, phhhpt, please."

"Spongebob Squarepants, phhhpt."

The fish looked at a clipboard he held in his hands. He then pointed down an extremely black hallway.

"Rick's office, phhhpt, is the last door down there, phhhpt. You can't, phhhpt, miss it.

"Thank, phhhpt, you," replied Spongebob. He trudged down the long, frightening hallway. It seemed never-ending.

He finally came to a walnut door. It looked like it was painted black. Then again, it might have been the darkness playing with Spongebob's eyes. Either way, Spongebob felt extremely nervous. Spongebob raised a quivering hand and cautiously tapped the door.

"Come in," sang a treacherous voice in a sing-song tune. The sound sent shivers racing up Spongebob's back. The voice was like none other he had ever heard. It was screechy like nails against a chalkboard, yet it sounded calm and relaxed. The voice was in a low tone, like the person was born for evil. Spongebob was shaking all over. His trembling arm reached for the door knob. (It too, looked black). Spongebob opened the door. It made a squeaking sound when he opened it. He stepped inside the room. It was incredibly dark. Spongebob's eyes needed to stop and adjust to the darkness of the room. Once he could see, he saw only a chair turned towards the opposite wall.

"Who is it?" asked Rick.

Spongebob was shaking all over. "It's, phhhpt, Spongebob Squarepants," he squeaked.

"Oh, please," said Rick. "Don't use that stupid accent. I can understand you just fine." Spongebob didn't reply. He wasn't sure of what to say. "Close the door please," said Rick. Spongebob closed the door noisily.

Rick turned around in his chair. Spongebob couldn't contain the small gasp of horror that escaped his lips. Rick looked unlike any sea creature Spongebob had ever seen.

Rick's body looked like one of a jellyfish, only stretched vertically, so the result was a long, slender gelatine body. Rick was black, with huge red eyes. The eyes of Rick seemed to dig into Spongebob's mind and feed on his deepest fears. There were spikes that had the appearance of giant teeth all over Rick's tentacles. Rick started to glow slightly so he could see Spongebob.

"Do you know why you're here?" questioned Rick in that awful voice of his. Spongebob was taken aback by Rick's terrifying appearance. He was shaking all over.

"Umm, for a job interview?" questioned the sponge.

"Correct. My good friend…" Rick paused. He was about to say a name. Spongebob was listing hard. Was Rick going to tell him the identity of Stalker? "My good friend Stalker sent you, did he not?"

Spongebob let go of his breath. He felt very discouraged that Rick had not breathed the true identity of Stalker. "Yes," replied Spongebob. "He did."

"Good," said Rick. He held out a glowing tentacle so he could see Spongebob in better light. Spongebob twinged as a sharp spike brushed against his cheek. "Well," said Rick. "I see no reason why I shouldn't give you the job."

"Umm, what exactly is the job?" inquired Spongebob. Rick gave him a terrible smile. Whatever the job was, Spongebob knew it wouldn't be good.

Sandy and Patrick were on the bus to Rock Bottom. Patrick looked scared, as if the bus was about to explode at any minute. Sandy was curious why Pat was so nervous, but it was eerily quiet on the bus. Sandy didn't want to break it, so she left Patrick to his nervousness.

It was twenty minutes later, and it was very dark. Sandy pulled one of her arms out from her space suit. On her wrist was a watch. She put it on when Patrick and she started looking for Spongebob. 11 o' clock. Sandy gave a big yawn. She looked at Patrick. He was snoring. She wasn't surprised. It was unusual for a starfish's system to stay up late. Sandy was about the fall asleep, but then it came. A horrible lurch. The sudden movement caused both Patrick and Sandy to become wide awake.

"Oh no," said Patrick. "Not this part."

"What…" Sandy couldn't finish, because al of a sudden, the bus fell straight down, plummeting towards the darkness of Rock Bottom. Patrick was thrown to the back of the bus, but Sandy (being Texas tough) held onto her seat. The bus did a ninety degree turn and then gave a sudden stop. Patrick was thrown to the front of the bus, but Sandy still clinged to her seat. Sandy got off the bus, followed by a very dazed and dizzy Patrick.

"So this is Rock Bottom?" Sandy asked Patrick. Patrick shook his head to regain consciousness, and then looked around. It was as scary as before.

"Yep," he replied. It was a short answer, but no more had to be said. The darkness and the eerie sensation spoke for itself. "Time to find Spongebob," said Patrick. Sandy agreed. The two friends wandered into the darkness, hoping to find their lost friend.

Stalker pounded the table with his fists. He was furious. He wasn't about to let Sandy or Patrick persuade Spongebob into returning to Bikini Bottom. Stalker made up his mind. Making Spongebob miserable wasn't good enough anymore. Stalker held up a picture of Sandy and Patrick he took earlier that day. They were boarding a bus for Rock Bottom. He took out a marker and drew on the picture. "Looks like it's time to kick butt," Stalker said, as he threw the picture onto the table. On the picture, there was a long slash right through the figure of Sandy.


	5. The Job

**_Author's Note: _You love me! You really love me! (Cough) sorry. I'm just SO happy that you guys are giving me SO many reviews. (New record). Anyway, for now on, I'm going to be giving individual credit. (I find it much easier that way.) I hope you people enjoy! NOTE You might notice that I'm writing the chapters in a specific order; Spongebob Sandy & Patrick, and then Stalker. This time I'm doing things a little differently, so try not to get confused.**

**A. Nonymous: Thanks SO much for you really long reviews. You always say so much! I'm glad you liked Rick. The reason he could understand Spongebob's accent was because I would have drove myself insane if I had to keep writing phhhpt. Lol. In this chapter you'll find out what the job is. I'm really sorry about this, but I wasn't really planning on putting more Rick into the story. If I find a chance, I'll put him in, but don't expect much. (Although, I'm planning on putting a vampire squid in a different story coming soon.)**

**ComicCrystal: To answer your question, yes. Spongebob was supposed to be in character. I always try to give the characters the same attitudes they have in the show. Thanks for the cliff-hanger comment!**

**Estelle Rabon: I'm glad you're trying so hard to find out who Stalker is. (That's what I'm aiming for). Since you always give me such nice reviews, I'll tell you a secret. Somewhere in the story, there is a hint to Stalker's true identity! Are you still doing the sequel to Power to Kill? Every day I check hoping it will be there. PLEASE write it! It would rock so hard if you made more stories.**

Chapter 5

It was the day after the interview and Spongebob was aching all over. There were two things he hated in life. Stinky things and scary things. This job contained both.

_Flashback_

"Umm, what exactly is the job?" inquired Spongebob. Rick smiled.

"I'm glad you asked. Did you see that huge dump on your way here?" Spongebob nodded. He was starting to get a bad feeling about this. "Well, as you can well imagine, it keeps this area rather stinky. Every once in a while, we hire someone to move the trash to one of the trenches that filled this city." Spongebob recalled that he past a rather large gap in the land as he walked over to the building.

"So I have to dump the trash into the trench?" asked Spongebob.

"Yes," replied Rick. "I believe you do."

_End Flashback_

So that led Spongebob here. Shovelling huge amounts of stinky, scary trash into a wheelbarrow, walking to the nearest trench, and dumping it in. Oh sure, at first it didn't sound so hard. However, once Spongebob started working, he became quickly exhausted. The trash pile was huge, and there was a lot of heavy waste that sometimes wouldn't even fit inside the wheelbarrow. There were a lot of sharp objects that gave Spongebob small cuts and bruises. Not to mention the stench. It was the worst smell you could possibly imagine. Spongebob wore a clothes pin on his nose, but the horrid smell still found a way inside Spongebob's nose. Spongebob was miserable. "If only Patrick and Sandy were here…"

"If only Spongebob was here…" cried Patrick. He and Sandy were hopelessly lost in the darkness.

"Don't worry, Patrick. We'll find him," Sandy said.

"Find him!" yelled Patrick. "We can't even find ourselves in this darkness."

Sandy sighed. Patrick did have a point. They were lost. "Well let's keep movin'. We're bound to find some kind of shelter to stay for the night." Just as she said that, the two friends bashed into a wooden wall.

"Owe!" exclaimed Patrick. Sandy didn't really notice that she hit a wall because her helmet blocked the wall.

"Pat! Are you okay?" inquired Sandy.

"Ya," replied Patrick. "But what did I run into?"

Sandy looked up. It appeared to be some sort of shack. "Perfect!" said Sandy, gleefully.

"No, not perfect," said Patrick, who was still sitting on the floor from the collision. "My face hurts."

"Forget your face, Patrick. Look at what you ran into.

Patrick looked up. "YAY! A place to sleep."

"It looks abandoned," said Sandy, peering into the dirty windows. "Come on, I'm bushed."

The two friends entered the small house and noticed that there was only one bed. So one of the friends took some blankets and slept on the floor while the other slept on the bed. They hoped that in the morning, they would find their spongy, yellow friend.

Spongebob walked home. It was finally the end of a long, tiresome day. He finished dumping half of the gigantic pile of waste. Tomorrow he would work on the other half. Spongebob opened the door to his shack to find his to best friends sleeping in his house. Spongebob was completely flabbergasted, blown away, shocked, and…well…you get the picture. Once he found his breath, Spongebob exclaimed entirely of what he thought of the situation. "OH MY GOSH!"

Sandy and Patrick were startled at the yell. They looked in the doorway to see…Spongebob! The three friends hugged, and said hello, and did all of that sweet stuff nobody likes to read or write about. This continued for minutes on end, when Spongebob finally stopped it.

"Look, guys, I'm glad we're back together and all, but it's getting late, and we need sleep." Sandy and Patrick agreed. Sandy slept on the bed, Patrick slept on the floor, and Spongebob slept in his chair. The three friends were happy that they were together again.

However, one person wasn't as happy. In fact, you might say Stalker was furious. He was standing in the shadows, watching the entire thing. He would wait until they were all asleep, then he would make his move. "I warned you, Spongebob," he said to himself. "Now it's time to pay."

Patrick woke up, traumatized. "Spongebob! Wake up!"

Spongebob woke up, a little startled at Patrick's outburst. "What is it, Patrick?"

"There is a note from that Stalker person..."

Spongebob stood up abruptly. "And?"

"It's Sandy…she's gone."


	6. Looking For Stalker

**_Author's Note: _Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 5! Unfortunately, this chapter is going to be pretty short, but the ending of this chapter is really good!**

**Estelle Rabon: I'm SO happy that you think my story is so good! I'm even happier that you're still doing the sequel as well as imagination. I can hardly wait! Don't worry, I'm going to keep writing until I finish all of my story ideas.**

**WoRdLiFeCeNa4: Thanks for the really nice review! I'm glad you like how I have written the story. I think that this is my best one. Thanks again!**

**A. Nonymous: Thank for the detail comment. I'm glad you think it's gloomy, that's what I'm aiming for.**

**AMX: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you love it.**

Chapter 6

"Gone?" asked Spongebob. He looked at the bed. Sandy was indeed missing. It looked like a struggle took place. "Patrick, I need to see that note." Patrick handed Spongebob the crumpled piece of paper.

Spongebob,

If you ever want to see your friend again, make sure tubby leaves. Don't look for her. I'll be watching you.

Stalker

With every word Spongebob read, his fear turned to rage. He could stand the smelly garbage, and the cramped house, but no one messes with his friends.

"What did the note say, Spongebob?" asked Patrick. Spongebob handed Patrick the note to read. "TUBBY!" exploded Patrick. "NOBODY CALLS ME TUBBY!" Patrick ripped up the paper in blind furry. Spongebob just stood and watched Patrick go through his episode. Eventually, Patrick regained sanity. "I've had it with Stalker!" exclaimed Patrick. "We have to save Sandy!"

"Right!" agreed Spongebob. "She would do the same thing for us. Unfortunately, I have no idea where Stalker's lair is."

"We have to investigate!" stated Patrick.

The two left the house and looked around for something, anything, which might lead them to Stalker's hideout. It wasn't long until Patrick stumbled across a clue.

"Spongebob, come over here!" called Patrick. Spongebob walked over to the site where Patrick was standing. There was an imprint on the sand. It looked like something had been dragged to the north part of town.

"The Stalker probably dragged Sandy to his hideout!" exclaimed Spongebob. "Come on, Pat, we should follow them!" The two friends ran off into the early morning darkness, hoping to unmask Stalker, and save their friend Sandy.

"Spongebob had better sent that chubby pink sea star back to where he came from…for your sake." Stalker was talking to the captured Sandy. Somehow (even though she was wearing her air suit) he managed to tape her mouth shut. She was tied up with strong ropes. "Actually, I hope he didn't. That would make things a little more…interesting." Sandy looked at Stalker with the inner most loathing. How could one person be so cruel? She groaned a sigh of sadness. She hoped Spongebob would find her in this cave.

"I hope Sandy is okay," said Spongebob. They had been following the tracks for ages, and it seemed like they were going nowhere.

"Don't worry, Spongebob. I'm sure she is!" reassured Patrick.

"I hope you're right, buddy." The two friends walked in silence for a while. The tracks seemed never ending. Quickly, the two acquaintances grew tired.

"Are we there yet?" asked Patrick. Spongebob paused. He was thinking about their situation. This Stalker seemed pretty smart. He wouldn't waste a ton of energy dragging Sandy to a far away hideout. Spongebob bent down and examined the tracks. He made a very helpful discovery by doing so. Spongebob could tell that the tracks were made by the scuffing of shoes, not the dragging of a captive.

"Patrick, I think we've been tricked. These tracks are fake! We probably pasted the real hideout a long time ago!"

"Well, duh!" replied Patrick. "We pasted the sign that said 'Stalker's evil hide out' ten minutes ago!"

"Why didn't you tell me, Pat?"

"I thought you knew."

Spongebob just gave an unimpressed expression as a reply. However, being the optimist that he was, he quickly saw the good in this situation. "Lead me to the sign, Pat!"

"Right!" replied the sea star. The two friends then made their way to the **real **hide out of Stalker.

"Well, sad to say, it looks like the sea star hasn't left yet. You know what that means," said Stalker to Sandy. He held a knife in his hands. Sandy was terrified. It looked like this was the end. Stalker was about to lower his blade, when…

"Not so fast, Stalker!" yelled Spongebob at the entrance of the cave.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Spongebob," replied Stalker. He stepped out of the shadows to reveal himself.

At first Spongebob didn't recognize him. He was muscular and looked very strong. Then suddenly he realized who it was.

"OH MY GOSH!" exclaimed Spongebob. "It's you!"


	7. Face To Face

**_Author's Note:_ I'M HERE!I bet you all really hate me for leaving you all guessing Stalker's identity, but I couldn't help it. Cliff hangers are my specialty. This is the last chapter! I hope you all liked this story! My next one is going to be 'Living Big'.**

**WoRdLiFeCeNa4: Thanks for the writing comment. I hope you haven't exploded yet…lol. Thanks**

**A. Nonymous: Thanks for your review. I'm glad you liked the comic relief part.**

**Anon: Um, I don't know what you mean by the red lobster thingy, but thanks for reviewing!**

**Estelle Rabon: lol. Sorry about the cliff-hanger. It's just such a great way to end a chapter! Thanks for reviewing!**

**AMX: Thanks for the review. In this chapter you'll find out what you've been waiting for!**

Chapter 7

Stalker smirked. "Yes, it is I, Flats Flounder."

"You look so…different," said Spongebob, noticing the muscles.

"I have been working out," said Flats.

"Why? Why did you do this?"

"Why? You think that I would let an undersea nerd get the best of me? Well you must have thought wrong. I swore I'd kick your butt, and you took my punches in like…well like a sponge taking up water."

Spongebob recalled the time…

_Flashback_

"Are you ready?" asked Flats.

"Hold on," replied Spongebob. He took out a red blindfold and tied it around his eyes. "Okay, I'm ready." Flats pulled back his fist, and punched Spongebob right in the chest. Instead of an injury, it just left a big hole in Spongebob's body. Spongebob didn't react. "I said I'm ready," said Spongebob.

"Huh?" questioned Flats. He punched the yellow sponge again, but just another hole was left.

"Did you hear me? I said I'm ready!" said Spongebob, taking off the blindfold. Flats gave another punch. Spongebob laughed. "Ahahahaha, that tickles!" Flats was desperately trying to hurt Spongebob. "Gary," said Spongebob. "I'm absorbing his punches like I'm made out of some sort of spongy material."

Throughout the day Flats tried to kick Spongebob's butt, but Spongebob acted as if Flats wasn't even there. In the end, Flats fell unconscious.

_End Flashback_

"I thought you moved out of town!" exclaimed Spongebob.

"I did; to train. You see, after I was…" Flats paused for a moment as if it was extremely difficult for him to talk. "…beaten by you, I decided to train to improve my figure. I grew stronger. Much stronger. However, I knew that my punches would still be no good against you. So I decided to attack mentally instead of physically. To make you suffer. I knew that the death of your beloved pet would get my point across." Spongebob thought back to the time. He was playing with Gary in the park. His show of affection probably tipped Flats off.

"You're sick!" yelled Spongebob through his furry.

"Maybe I am sick," replied Flats. "But it seems I have my way. In case you forgot, you're still living in Rock Bottom, you have a terrible job, and I have your friend." Flats pointed towards the spot where Sandy was sitting, but now she was standing.

While Flats was distracted by talk, Patrick snuck around the cave and freed her. Seeing his captive freed made Flats poses red hot furry towards Spongebob. Flats gave a mighty roar of anger and leapt for the sponge. "You're dead!" Flats yelled. "You're dead!" Spongebob held back.

The two wrestled to the ground and they started to roll across the floor. They exited the cave, but they still kept fighting. Sandy and Patrick were stunned by the sudden outburst. They couldn't do anything but watch. Flats and Spongebob rolled towards a huge trench. Flats pinned Spongebob to the ground. He was defiantly stronger than the last time Spongebob saw him. Flats grabbed Spongebob by the neck and held him in the air. Spongebob was choking, but Flats didn't care. He was fighting to the death. "I've waited for my revenge long enough!" yelled Flats. Spongebob tried to pry Flats's hands off of him, but it was no use. Blackness started to cloud his vision. This was the end. "Time for a certain sponge to get his butt kicked!" yelled Flats. He was about to toss Spongebob into the trench, when the rocks beneath him began to crumble. Flats let go of Spongebob through his surprise. The rocks shook, then fell down to the bottom of the trench. Flats was able to grab onto the edge, but more rocks started to crack, and Flats fell down the trench. "Noooooo…" The sound of his voice echoed off the walls. Spongebob couldn't help but watch as Flats fell to his doom. Soon the figure was consumed by the darkness. Spongebob took a silent moment to get over his shock. Not just the shock of finding out Stalker's identity, but the shock of what had happened in the past few days. The death of Gary, moving to Rock Bottom, getting the horrid job, finding his friends, and coming face to face with Flats.

"Spongebob?" Sandy and Patrick emerged from the cave. "So Flats is...?" Spongebob nodded. No matter what the friends had been through, this ordeal was finally over.

EPILOUGE

Spongebob, Patrick and Sandy had returned back to Bikini Bottom. Spongebob was able to get his friendly pineapple back, and his job. Patrick and Sandy talked with Spongebob more than usual now. Their friendship had become stronger ever since the incident. Spongebob knew that life would never be the same again, but everything turned out for the better.

THE END


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